Tetherball is a very common playground game. Although many take the approach of just hitting the ball as hard as they can, there should be some amount of strategy put in to this seemingly simple game. Read on to find out how to excel at Tetherball.

Steps

1

Serve the ball. This is done by slowly tossing the ball out in front of you, then striking it in the middle with the side of your fist. Make sure you put all you can into this serve.

2

Rally your serve. You do this by letting the rope wrap around twice, then hitting it in your favor with an open palm. You will build up momentum for an eventual kill, which will be discussed later.

3

Set yourself up for the kill. This is done by hitting the ball slower, yet higher, then bounce the ball off the pole, keeping it on your side. Once this is done, you hit the ball the same as you did to serve. Hopefully this will kill the opponent, giving you victory.

4

Hit with the side of your fist. The part of the hand you hit with is crucial. Make a fist, turn it sideways, and hit with the side. You can damage your hand palming or punching it, and you will not get good results.

5

Watch the ball. If it goes high, make the return strike higher. If it goes in the middle return in in the middle, but hit harder than your opponent. This will surprise your opponent and gain you a point!

Be sure to focus on the ball, not your opponent. While it's good strategy to watch your opponent for a second to see if you can guess his plan, try not to take your eye off the ball for too long.

6

Control your speed. Rather than flailing as fast as you can, hit the ball with slow, deliberate motions. Your hits will have more power this way, tiring your opponent out faster.

7

Let it wrap. Sometimes you can trick an inexperienced player by letting him wrap once or twice and then standing by the side of the pole high and over his head (or slow and in front of him to unwrap and counter-strike). Be sure to return the strike with lots of power!

8

Be a good sport. Once you win (or even if you lose), be a good sport. Say "good game" to the other player, and mentally take note of things you need to work on for next time.